I would like to congratulate Brian Jeffriess for his statement: “The seafood industry is an expanding, renewable industry that's also a big employer and value-added industry under threat from an extractive industry with a short life span that definitely poses a huge risk." His position and that of the council are supporting the long view. While you may miss out on some jobs short term, you will also miss a threat that could destroy the community and the industry. You only need to ask those fishing communities on the Gulf of Mexico how they are going after the spills there. SIMON JONES Stirling I recently had a fall and my husband took me to the outpatients at the hospital where I had to lay on a bed in pain for three and a quarter hours before a doctor became available to order pain relief and to dress the wound on my leg. The nurses are wonderful, very special people and it is unfair that they have to rush from one patient to another and put up with disgusting abuse. I wish something could be done to relieve the pressure on the health workers. B. J. SIMMONS Port Lincoln I recently spent some time on the Wikipedia website researching the 2010 Mexican Gulf oil spill. Once I fathomed the finer details of the human error created tragedy, I felt concern for all those people left financially and emotionally traumatised. I believe the general public of Southern Australia cannot afford to be oblivious to the good and not so good side of deep sea drilling for oil. Draw your own conclusions. Our drill site is 300 nautical miles south of Ceduna in a depth of 2400 to 300 plus metres. The Mexican Gulf spill site was 1600 metres deep and 41 miles off the Louisiana coast. God forbid, but if there is a spill here mid winter things get complicated. The hi-tech deep sea ROV subs, mother ship and associated oil spill equipment that is needed to cap the spill at the well head does not reside here. Where they are based I do not know. Perhaps Mexico Gulf. The other equipment, a 50-tonne blow off preventer valve is stored in Singapore. Time will pass and oil will flow. Once the equipment arrives it can be deployed but a rough sea state during winter will hamper efforts to stop an oil spill. How far will a spill flow? Depends on average wind and current direction. During our winter SA, Victoria and Tasmania will be affected by oil, possibly a devastating amount. Our Marine Safety Authority, NOPSEMA, have the projections for this scenario. In 2010 the Deepwater Horizon semi submersible oil rig sand and oil spilt for 87 days. More than 200 million gallons entered the environment. The cause of that spill was deemed to be BP being lax on maintenance. Human error. It cost BP $62 billion. A lot of political and monitor cogs turning here. To drill or not to drill that is the question here. I think not. What do you think? Be informed and if you have an opinion let it be heard. ADAM OLDS Port Lincoln

Letters to the editor

LETTERS: Send letters to the editor to olivia.barnes@fairfaxmedia.com.au.

Applaud the long view

I would like to congratulate Brian Jeffriess for his statement: “The seafood industry is an expanding, renewable industry that's also a big employer and value-added industry under threat from an extractive industry with a short life span that definitely poses a huge risk."

His position and that of the council are supporting the long view.

While you may miss out on some jobs short term, you will also miss a threat that could destroy the community and the industry.

You only need to ask those fishing communities on the Gulf of Mexico how they are going after the spills there.

SIMON JONES

Stirling

Health workers need break

I recently had a fall and my husband took me to the outpatients at the hospital where I had to lay on a bed in pain for three and a quarter hours before a doctor became available to order pain relief and to dress the wound on my leg.

The nurses are wonderful, very special people and it is unfair that they have to rush from one patient to another and put up with disgusting abuse.

I wish something could be done to relieve the pressure on the health workers.

B. J. SIMMONS

Port Lincoln

To drill or not to drill

I recently spent some time on the Wikipedia website researching the 2010 Mexican Gulf oil spill.

Once I fathomed the finer details of the human error created tragedy, I felt concern for all those people left financially and emotionally traumatised.

I believe the general public of Southern Australia cannot afford to be oblivious to the good and not so good side of deep sea drilling for oil.

Draw your own conclusions.

Our drill site is 300 nautical miles south of Ceduna in a depth of 2400 to 300 plus metres.

The Mexican Gulf spill site was 1600 metres deep and 41 miles off the Louisiana coast.

God forbid, but if there is a spill here mid winter things get complicated.

The hi-tech deep sea ROV subs, mother ship and associated oil spill equipment that is needed to cap the spill at the well head does not reside here.

Where they are based I do not know. Perhaps Mexico Gulf.

The other equipment, a 50-tonne blow off preventer valve is stored in Singapore.

Time will pass and oil will flow.

Once the equipment arrives it can be deployed but a rough sea state during winter will hamper efforts to stop an oil spill.

How far will a spill flow?

Depends on average wind and current direction.

During our winter SA, Victoria and Tasmania will be affected by oil, possibly a devastating amount.

Our Marine Safety Authority, NOPSEMA, have the projections for this scenario.